Chapter 357: The Beggar Sect Strikes Back

After washing up and changing into a fresh set of clothes,

Wangchuan found that Chen Ergou had already cleaned the Thousand-Forged Battle Armor and was waiting at the door with the blue-grade battle armor in his hands.

“Hall Master.”

“When something this dangerous comes up in the future, please take this subordinate with you too. Being left alone here in the hall makes my heart feel stifled.”

As he helped the Hall Master put on the Thousand-Forged Battle Armor, Chen Ergou kept muttering under his breath.

Seeing the various marks left on the armor, he had already guessed that this operation had been extremely perilous. As the Hall Master’s chief aide, he was unwilling to be left behind.

Wangchuan smiled faintly and comforted him.

“We haven’t been at the hall for very long. We still do not have many true confidants here. Besides, Old Seven has taken away a large number of elites, so someone with enough weight has to stay behind and hold the fort... Of the people here, only you and Captain Zhao are reliable enough to put me at ease... If I’m going into the mountains, bringing Captain Zhao still feels safer.”

Chen Ergou was immediately relieved. His gloom turned to joy, and he said nothing more.

“Go call Hong Kaibao and Ye Baiyi in.”

“Yes!”

Not long after Chen Ergou left, the others arrived, with Zhao Heiniu following behind.

Zhao Heiniu had already begun teaching Ye Baiyi 《Hundred Paces Piercing the Poplar》.

“Hall Master.”

“Everyone is here.”

Wangchuan nodded and looked at the four men in front of him.

“Wang Yuehui is responsible for the safety of the Sanjiang Branch Helm, so on the hall’s side, the people I currently rely on most are the four of you.”

The four of them unconsciously straightened their backs and lifted their chests.

Wangchuan continued,

“The hall’s security will be handled by Chen Ergou and Captain Zhao.”

“Hong Kaibao, teach Ye Baiyi the ropes. Have him spend more time moving around the prefectural seat and learning the affairs of the Main Helm and the hall here. In the future, the two of you will be responsible for coordinating between the studio and the hall.”

“Yes!”

Hong Kaibao nodded.

Although Ye Baiyi had arrived suddenly, the fact that he had trained his saber arts to Perfect Mastery already proved that he would be valuable to the studio...

He had to be treated with due seriousness.

“Ye Baiyi, for the next few days, focus on cultivating well. Once you break through to second rank, then we can think about everything else.”

“Yes!”

Ye Baiyi cupped his fist and accepted the order.

“You may leave first. Ergou, Captain Zhao, stay.”

Wangchuan had Hong Kaibao and Ye Baiyi go off to cultivate first, then turned to the remaining two and asked,

“How has your cultivation been lately? Have you touched the threshold of third rank yet?”

Chen Ergou and Zhao Heiniu exchanged glances and both revealed awkward expressions.

“Hall Master.”

“Although we have now cultivated 《Xuanwu Art》, 《Dragon-Elephant Body-Protection Technique》, 《Water Strider》, and 《Parting-Waters Saber Art》, we are probably still some distance away from third rank.”

Chen Ergou answered first.

Zhao Heiniu followed right after him.

“This subordinate did at least train 《Parting-Waters Saber Art》 to Entry-Level Mastery during this trip into the mountains. At the same time, I also raised 《Green Bamboo Staff Art》 and 《Qilian Mountain-Sundering Axe》 to Entry-Level Mastery. But I am still some distance away from third rank.”

Zhao Heiniu had also gained quite a bit from the Snake Dens.

Wangchuan considered the matter for a moment, then asked further,

“How is your cultivation of 《Xuanwu Art》 going?”

“...”

The two men showed pained expressions and said,

“Although the Hall Master taught us the shortcut of cultivating underwater, we have not had much time to train. At present, it is still only at the entry level. Reaching Minor Mastery will probably still take some time.”

“This subordinate is dull by nature. I also have not cultivated as diligently as the Hall Master, so I am indeed still stuck at the entry-level realm.”

Wangchuan was not surprised.

Chen Ergou and Zhao Heiniu helped him manage the affairs of the hall and the branch helm on a daily basis. They truly did not have much time left for cultivation...

In the future, the gap between the two of them and himself would only continue to widen.

But Wangchuan did not want to see them fall too far behind.

Chen Ergou and Zhao Heiniu might not have exceptional talent, but they were extremely loyal.

Chen Ergou would risk his life for him.

Captain Zhao had saved him again and again and was truly his lucky general.

No matter what, he had to help the two of them break through to third rank at the very least.

With that thought in mind, he took out two Lesser Rejuvenation Pills and explained their wondrous effects to the two men before giving one to each.

Both men’s eyes lit up. Holding the pills in their hands, they were deeply excited.

“Hall Master!”

“The Lesser Rejuvenation Pill is far too precious. You should use it yourself. This subordinate...”

The two of them both knew that the Lesser Rejuvenation Pill was worth a fortune. Even holding it in their hands felt scalding.

“The two of you can only assist me better if your strength improves. Besides, I already used up my three allowed doses while I was still at third rank. If I take more now, the Lesser Rejuvenation Pill will no longer have any effect on me. Rather than keeping them, it would be better to give them to the two of you and help you rapidly cultivate 《Xuanwu Art》.”

“Enough!”

“Stop wasting words and go cultivate immediately.”

“I’ll keep watch tonight!”

Wangchuan had decided to help the two of them push 《Xuanwu Art》 to a higher realm.

Chen Ergou and Zhao Heiniu exchanged a glance. No longer hesitating, they swallowed the Lesser Rejuvenation Pills and both jumped into the wooden tubs, sitting cross-legged underwater as they circulated 《Xuanwu Art》.

The two had already cultivated 《Xuanwu Art》 for some time. As the medicinal effect of the Lesser Rejuvenation Pill spread through them, each Full Circulation Cycle granted 1 point of Experience Value. They quickly broke through to Minor Mastery, then advanced rapidly toward Practice Makes Perfect.

After the breakthrough, what had originally been a six-minute Full Circulation Cycle was reduced to less than five minutes.

The speed of circulating Qi increased.

Their cultivation speed became even faster!

Wangchuan had people buy some dry rations from outside. Whenever the two of them grew hungry, they ate and then went right back to cultivating without pause, trying to squeeze every last bit of medicinal effect out of the Lesser Rejuvenation Pills.

As for him, he cultivated the lift-and-leap technique of his lightness skill in the courtyard—Cloud Ladder.

As time passed,

a violent clash erupted over in Qinghe Commandery.

More than a hundred Beggar Sect disciples brutally suppressed a dock belonging to a subordinate faction under the Caobang. On the very night they destroyed that hall, a group of black-clad men stormed in, hacked all of those Beggar Sect disciples to pieces, and threw them into the river to feed the fish.

After receiving the distress signal, the Beggar Sect sub-branch in Qinghe Commandery charged out overnight to take revenge, only to be ambushed on the road outside the city by another group of black-clad men...

At the same time!

The Beggar Sect sub-branch inside the city came under heavy assault.

Beggar Sect disciples suffered grievous casualties!

The bloody fighting between the Caobang and the Beggar Sect escalated at once.

Early the next morning, a Beggar Sect elder slaughtered a band of black-clad men in the forest. Their corpses were pressed into the nearby river in a single line, each back marked with the bloody character.;

Every passing boat was terrified out of its wits, and screams rang out one after another.

At the gates of Qinghe Commandery, more than a dozen corpses had also been hung high in the air, every one of them a Caobang disciple.

For a time, everyone knew that the Beggar Sect’s provocation and declaration of war against the Caobang had almost been brought into the open.

Everyone was waiting to see Yin Xingtian’s next move!

Would he continue escalating the situation?

Or would he bow his head?

...

By the time the turmoil in Qinghe Commandery reached Sanhe Commandery, Chen Ergou and Zhao Heiniu had already completely absorbed the medicinal power of the Lesser Rejuvenation Pills and emerged from the wooden tubs.

Their 《Xuanwu Art》 had advanced to Practice Makes Perfect. They had now formally gained internal cultivation and become second-rank martial artists with real combat strength.

Holding Old Seven’s carrier pigeon message in his hand, Wangchuan’s face was grave.

The situation in Qinghe Commandery had not been brought under control!

What was going on?

With two Hall Masters stationed there, they still could not keep things under control?